Monday, April 28, 2008

...turned out better than I had hoped...At my daughter's First Communion party, I set this sign out, along with a bunch of cards for people to write their own statements for her...The carousel, the sign and the blank stack of I Hope cards along with writing utensils were next to her cake on display...

And to my delight, many people filled out cards and left them for her.I also passed these cards out to her grandparents, her godparents, and close relatives. Some included them in their cards to her, and a few even elaborated and elected to write full letters. It really was something, and I was thrilled.

I took the liberty of adding more "formal" statements to give people ideas (the original "I Hope" statements--about a dozen of them). I added over 100 photos, 10 plastic sleeves (which will house the letters and such) and it turned out like this:I'd highly recommend getting photos printed out in matte rather than glossy if you attempt this project. Since the photos are handled a lot, matte holds up better and you can't see the fingerprints from handling. Also, I used several 5x7 photos as well as 4x6--it worked well! I like the staggered look to it. It belongs to her now. I plan on adding a few photos from the party this weekend, and it will be in a special place on the desk in her bedroom. I love that she looks at it all the time, and keeps re-reading the sentiments that were written specifically for her. Total sap, just like her mama...

25 comments:

Oh my gosh Trish...what a beautiful gift. I knew that was going to be an amazing gift. I am outright stealing that idea for my daughter. Thanks for sharing my friend. So happy your Jami, loved her party!!!HUGS

your carousel is absolutely beautiful. lovely, lovely. you are very inspiring.i wanted to add that i just posted my rendition of the mother chipboard book on my blog. it was such a great project and it made me so happy to have the kit and be able to make this gift for my mom. thanks for your inspiration!

O-M-G!!!!!!! That is simply STUNNING!! I freakin' LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!! A little question for you: does the carousel come with a little punch to add more stuff?? Thanks Trish! That project is so BEAUTIFUL!!!

Trish,Thank you so much, I love the I hope series. A few years ago, 5 or 6, I made a similar book like this for my daughter who was turning 17.It was a surprise and EVERYONE cried when I gave it to her. She's 22 years old now and let's just say we've been through some hard times...kids are like that:>)Anyway, thanks for the reminder,they all deserve a little HoPe!!

You did a wonderful job here Trish and I am very happy to find this idea here; as I am going to steal it for my daughter’s upcoming party at San Francisco venues. She just love such personalized and I am sure she will love this one too.